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We got some great posts on our topic about using EYB for Thanksgiving, so now we are doing the same with Christmas, which hopefully means our non-USA members will chime in.  So let us know how you have used EYB for your Christmas cooking and the post we judge the best will win a cookbook of their choice from our new Best of the best 2010 Cookbooks (the list goes up today).

Can Hannukah recipe-searching count even though it's over?  This is a multicultural site, right?  I think so.  This year I wanted to make a new kind of latke to go with the traditional potato-onion ones my mom makes.  So, sweet potato latkes were the way to go, but I definitely didn't want to wing it considering how different the sweet potato is from your everyday idaho potato.  A search on here gave me only four or five, and I surprised myself when the best looking recipe came from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites.  Low Fat Favorites for a FRIED potato latke?  Despite the confusing categorization I used the recipe with the Indian variation, added some rice flour as an attempt at boosting the crispness, fried them in large amounts of spitting oil, and they turned out wonderful!  I'll be returning to that recipe again for sure.

On a separate occasion this month, I had a bag of cranberries that weren't getting any fresher so I decided to make a cranberry quickbread.  For some reason when I want to make quickbreads I often tend toward the old-timey recipes.  I found a great old copy of James Beard's Beard on Bread this past summer and hadn't used it, but there was a simple cranberry quickbread recipe that intrigued me.  It had no orange zest or lemon juice or yogurt.  I made it in about ten minutes flat, unfortunately forgetting to start the oven at the beginning.  Because of this it sat around for another ten minutes before I put it in the oven, which is probably what made the texture less delicate.  I kind of liked the different density though--it felt more substantial, but was also simply a sweetened eggy quickbread with chunks of cranberry.  I decided I'd like to make it again, next time getting it into the oven at the right time.  I like baking in winter because it's more about the sheer quantity of baking I do and new things I've tried, so there's less pressure on each project to be perfect.  Does anyone else find that to be true?

This is a bit off topic, but still in the spirit of cooking and loving people by feeding them.  A few days before Thanksgiving my grandmother died--not entirely a sad death--and the family decided to have a memorial a few days after Christmas (my mother's side of the family celebrates Christmas).  It's going to be a small gathering of friends and family at a beautiful old library, and being the budget-conscious foodies we are, we're catering it ourselves.  Now, my extended family owns a LOT of cookbooks (and has some serious kitchen skill) and you would think a site like EYB would be really helpful at a time like this, right?  We all decided that when honoring the family matriarch it would only be suitable to do a bit of a greatest hits from her own repertoire.  So, we're forgoing the cookbooks for old recipe cards and making things like Molasses Ginger Snaps, St. Petersburg Coffee Cake (yellow cake mix and pudding anyone?), Chocolate Meltaways, and Roast Beef with Horseradish Sauce.  Honestly, the menu has gotten larger than our gathering will even be able to eat, but I think what we're doing is mourning through cooking and baking something meaningful.

Aaand, that's all from me :)

Of course contributions about Hanukkah cooking using EYB are very welcome too.  I should have added it to the title but since it had ended by the time the topic went up, I thought I was too late.

Thank you for your lovely post.  Sorry to hear about your Grandmother's death but what a wonderful way to commemorate her by cooking all her favorite recipes.  Do let us know how the memorial event went.

EYB helped me find the perfect dessert!

Several years ago, I printed a picture off the internet of a a slice of dessert that claimed to taste just like an Almond Joy bar, from some inn in New England.  I printed the picture, and have been looking for a recipe for it ever since.  I had a description, but that was it.  "A flourless chocolate-almond cake is topped with a chewy layer of coconut and then coated with a smooth bittersweet glaze".

I had pretty much given up on finding the recipe, but I kept looking at the picture. Finally, I used EYB to find all of the parts.  I discoverd an almost brownie like chocolate almond flourless cake.  Then I searched for a chewy coconut filling. Finally I selected a dark chocolate ganache for the topping.  It was an absolute success. 

It was the perfect ending to my Christmas dinner, and satisfied a long-time craving.

(I have a picture of it, as well as the original picture that drove me, but I don't know how to put them up here.)

Unfortunately it was not my year to cook this year, we were travelling to visit relatives for Christmas so the way I used EYB was to look at the most popular Mexican cookbooks to decide which one to buy for my son for Christmas (He is 10 and recently discovered how much he loves Mexican food and is keen to start cooking it regularly.)

Now I am looking forward to going home to cook with him.

Amanda

For me, organization is the key to surviving the holiday season and this year, Eat Your Books played an important supporting role in 3 areas of my holiday planning:

1.  Menu Planning:  I LOVE themed get-togethers but for some reason, have never incorporated a specific theme into my Christmas and New Year’s events.  This year, I took inspiration from EYB’s “My Book Categories” on my home page.  Noting how prominent “Italian” books were in my collection, I decided to see whether I could pull together an Italian-themed New Year’s celebration.  Planning courses was a breeze using my “Bookmark” categories.  As I identified dishes I wanted to consider for the menu I’d save them to my “Antipasto”, “Pasta-To-Try” and “Soup” categories for example.  I also found my “Favorites” category helpful in selecting an anchor dish for the menu, a tried and true favorite that I could count on so I could be more adventurous in trying new recipes for other courses. 

2.  Recipe Selection:  I had a lot of fun selecting recipes for my menus this year.  While we tend to be very traditional with our Christmas dinner, I did decide to introduce a new twist on a “must-have” menu item this year.  Since not everyone loves Brussels Sprouts, I decided to test out new recipes and find something to woo the “sprout-haters” on my list!!  I created a “Brussels Sprouts” bookmark and after searching for that ingredient, I bookmarked the recipes that were of interest.  I then printed the list and headed to my physical bookshelf to take a closer look at recipes.  The “Notes” feature was useful in letting my add any impressions I had of the recipes, page #’s for future reference etc.  I did the same thing for my New Year’s Menu but also printed my narrowed down bookmarks lists so that my hubby could weigh in on the dish choices.  I love when he gets involved in the process and these bookmark lists really seemed to work for him.  (far less daunting then past years where I’d put a huge stack of sticky-note marked cookbooks in front of him!!) .  I really appreciated reading recipe reviews or seeing star ratings from other EYB users.  I hope more folks start using these features as this is a really helpful tool.  That said, now we’re back from our post-Christmas get-away, I still have reviews to add for the dishes we enjoyed over the past 2 weeks!! I used to write these directly in my cookbooks, which wasn’t ideal.   

3.  Gift Lists:  EYB played a HUGE roll in gift-buying at our house this year.  I used the “Sort-by . . . Popularity” feature in the EYB Library to identify books I wanted to add to my collection.  I also narrowed the search by identifying books that were already indexed so I’d be confident I could put them to immediate use.  I also searched by some of my top categories like “Italian” to see which books were indexed and most popular that I might want to add to my bookshelf.  I used this info to create a “Wish List” at our favorite bookstore so that I could share it w my husband and other family members that were looking for ideas.  The Forum and 2010 Top Cookbooks posts in the Community section were also great in helping me add to my wish list (I’d like to say they helped me narrow down my selections but who would I be kidding, they just made me want more books!!!)   I also used the Forum to help me pick gifts for some friends, it was great having trusted opinions on books or authors. . . honestly I’d never heard of Nigel Slater before joining EYB a year ago!!  Searching by their favorite categories was helpful as well because I could rely on “Popularity” info to guide me in selecting tried and true books in areas where I have little expertise.  I would never have known to get Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art 25th Anniversary Edition by Shizuo Tsuji for my friend who recently returned from an ex-pat assignment in Tokyo if it hadn’t been for EYB and she was overjoyed to get a book that will allow her to recreate some of the dishes she came to know as her new comfort foods.

So there you have it, EYB really was a key part of our holiday planning and, success stories this year.  Thanks EYB, it truly wouldn’t have been the same without you!! 

Hi Amanda,

Not sure if you know this but Rick Bayless has a great website and email newsletter that includes info on his travels to Mexico, recipes, tips and updates on his restaurants. Just in case your son might be interested in signing up for the newsletter here's the link to the website:

http://www.rickbayless.com/

This post is in response to Silver Sage's almond joy cake experience.  I am a huge almond joy fan, and I would love to hear more about the recipe you pieced together. Any chance you could amend your post to add more details, such as which books/recipes you used as sources and what changes you made. Thanks for your help!

Arghhh!!!!  I typed this all up and don't know exactly what I just did, but my answer disappeared while I was trying to make links to the cookooks!  Now I have to type it all over again.  But this time I'll not try to be fancy with the links.  I'm sure you can find them without me. 

The cake I found in a book I hadn't pulled out in years.  It is a 1980 edition of Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts.  The Torta di Cioccolata was perfect.  The technique was unusual.  You grind the chocolate with the nuts, rather than melting and cooling the chocolate, but the result was great.  It was dense, dark, and moist.  I baked it in a 10 inch springform pan, instead of the 8 inch pan called for, since I only wanted it about an inch tall.  Be sure to adjust your baking time for the bigger pan.

The filling was a little more difficult.  I couldn't find an actual candy filling, but I did find a topping for a Coconut Candy Bar Cheesecake in the Bon Appetit Cookbook, which seemd to have all the basics.  I wanted it thick & chewy, so I replaced the sour cream with a couple tablespoons of butter and a couple ounces of melted & cooled white chocolate.  This made the filling firmer.  I also skipped the added sugar.  It certainly didn't need it.  And mix it by hand, not in the food processor to keep the texture of the coconut intact.

The topping was the easiest part.  I love the dark chocolate of a Mounds Bar more than the milk chocolate, so I used the Dark Chocolate Ganache Glaze from Fran Bigelow's Pure Chocolate.  It was the ideal chocolate covering.  I'm sure if you want the milk chocolate, you can find a different recipe.

Bake the cake in a springform pan.  When completely cool, remove to a cardboard circle.  Spread coconut evenly over the top.  Set the cake on a rack over a shallow rimmed pan, and pour the glaze over it.  Let it set up a bit.

To add my own touch, not in the picture I've been drooling over, I coarsely broke up some sliced almonds and pressed tham into the sides.  It not only made a real pretty finishing touch, it helped hide my less-than-stellar glazing technique.

For several years, I've been drooling over just an internet picture.  I finally got to taste it.  It was definitely worth the wait!  Thanks EYB - I never would have discoverd the pieces without you!

Edited to add:

I don't know how to post a picture here, but if anyone is interested, here's a link to where I posted one on a forum.

The recipe called for 3 cups coconut, 2 ounces cream cheese, 1/4 cup cream of coconut.  I skipped the sour cream and the powdered sugar (it was plenty sweet without it).  Instead, I melted a stick of butter (maybe it was a half stick) and and stirred in about 3 ounces of chopped white chocolate.  When the butter & chocolate cooled, I added all the other ingredients.  I don't think I used the full 3  cups of coconut - I just kept adding until I liked the consistency. When it got too think, I added more cream of coconut.

Just play with the quantity of cream of coconut and actual coconut to get what you are looking for. 

Thank you.

I think we've had all the contributions we're going to get on Christmas & Hanukkah cooking with EYB so we are pleased to announce the winner is SueMmm.  We loved all the contributions - please keep your Forum posts coming.  Let us know Sue which book from the Best of the Best 2010 list you would like us to send you.

Thanks so much Jane, what exciting news!  

This was such a fun thread. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about everyone's holiday plans and, how to use EYB in new ways.  

This month I've been using EYB extensively to help me select recipes, build menus and put together shopping lists as I participate in Chowhound's Cookbook of the Month thread.  With EYB's help, I've now made over 20 dishes from Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge and Breath of a Wok by Grace Young.  

Since we're thoroughly enjoying these Chinese-inspired dishes, I'd be delighted to expand my Asian cookbook collection and add "Thai Street Food" by David Thompson to my bookshelf.  

Thanks once again! 

Great choice Sue - I think you will get as much enjoyment reading David Thompson's prose and admiring the photos as cooking the recipes.

I've also been enjoying Grace Young's books on COTM.  I think I've cooked more from these 2 books than any other COTM since I joined in.  Of course it helps that both my kids love stir-fries so I haven't been getting any complaining this month.